Marietta doctors keep a prom date
High school student’s car crash injuries won’t detour her plansBy connie Cartmell, ccartmell@mariettatimes.com
There will be no dancing for Meghan Dennison at her prom Saturday, but after a serious car crash less than a week ago, it's a miracle she'll be there at all.
"I was determined," said Dennison, 17, of Tyler County, W.Va. "The prom was my goal, and I did it."
Dennison, a senior at Tyler Consolidated High School, was released from Marietta Memorial Hospital Friday after an intense week of treatment and therapy. She'll be attending her prom in a wheelchair.
Her right knee was severely lacerated and her left hand fractured in the Monday morning crash.
"She surpassed any expectations that I had," said Dr. Jonathan Roylance, internist and hospitalist at Memorial.
"Earlier in the week when I asked the surgeon if she would be able to go to the prom, he said, 'No way,'" Roylance said. "In addition, he said that she'd still be in the hospital Saturday. We all set a goal to help her."
Doctors at Memorial, including Roylance and Dr. Naresh Nayak, orthopedic surgeon, moved surgery up and did aggressive therapy so the young woman could be released.
On April 27, Dennison was driving alone to Sistersville, W.Va., for an appointment when she looked down for a second to check the time, dropped off the edge of the road, and flipped the car.
"All I knew was that I was going to wreck," she said. "I remember seeing a mailbox in my face, then waking up hanging upside down."
Her right knee was sliced open to the bone and her hand was fractured. She was wearing a seat belt.
"My knee hurt so bad I didn't realize about my hand," she said.
For Dennison, the accident couldn't have come at a worse time. The high school prom was less than a week away. She had her dress, a raspberry gown with a huge black bow and full A-line skirt. A limousine was booked and her grandparents, Sandy and Jim Menges of Little, near Sistersville, planned to host the after-prom party. Her date is Brandon Grimes of Middlebourne, W.Va.
"It was my senior prom, and I hated to waste my grandparent's money for the dress, and all they did for me," said Dennison, who lives with her grandparents.
Sandy Menges said Friday she wasn't at all surprised Meghan made such an unbelievable effort to get home and to the prom.
"We're just happy to have her home," she said. "Her dog (Frosty) is really excited to see her."
Dennison has a brace on her leg and a cast on her lower arm.
"We gave her a black cast to match her gown," said Jennifer Offenberger, director of marketing and public relations at Memorial. "It's amazing she is able to go after such a serious accident and her car totaled."
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WandyisCool
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05-02-09 2:53 PM
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Have Fun ...
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Darby1952
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05-02-09 7:38 AM
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This is so nice to read a good story with a happy ending for a change......... refreshing and have fun at the prom LOL
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